The 13th annual Wildcat Block Party kicked off Sept. 1 at 8 a.m., beginning with the president’s traditional purple pancake breakfast at the Lower Stewart Bell Tower Plaza.

This much-anticipated event is always held the first week of fall semester as an introduction to Weber State University, as well as the surrounding communities. The block party’s theme this year was Come Discover Your Superpowers! The event, organized by Weber State University Student Association, has been a favorite tradition at Weber State. With the block party comes free food, prizes, games and an opportunity to get involved with your campus clubs or community.

Mackenzie Stokes, Vice President of Student Leadership said, “It’s a good way for clubs and organizations on campus to show who they are, it’s a great introduction for freshmen and anyone wanting to get involved.”

This year, like years past, was no different. The campus was packed with booths from numerous organizations and clubs. Some were very familiar, others unknown to most students. The Money Management Center on campus is there to assist students in learning to manage their finances better. Daniel Kilcrease, who is the director of the center, said “We offer one-on-one financial coaching for students.”

The Black Student Association, along with The Ohana Association, is one of the clubs on campus who offers minority students a place to call home, although anyone is invited to join. Kiahna Tanabe, President of The Ohana Association, also known as TOA, believes joining clubs has been an integral part of her college experience. “We are a really small up and coming club. We are trying hard to promote and create a family here.”

She said she felt alone when she first came to Weber because of the lack of Polynesian students and finding this club really helped her feel at home. “It felt like I had found a home away from home, I created friendships and connections from this club and didn’t feel alone at the end.”

Some of the booths represented were Center for Technology Outreach and Weber State University Engineering. There was also representation from various community businesses and organizations such as Sprint, Xfinity, Wells Fargo, UTA and VASA, among many others.

Maddi Johnston, who is on the special events committee, helped with the organizing of the event. She said her favorite part of the event is “just being able to walk up and down campus and get free stuff.”

The block party gives students an insight into all Weber has to offer and sometimes that includes new experiences. Gerald Williams, a junior at Weber State, said of his new experience at the event: “I played dart tag, I never did that before so I thought that was pretty cool. The block party is definitely something good. They should keep incorporating more and more every year.”

Freshmen and first time attendee Oaklen Weyland said this about the event, “I thought it was really awesome! A little overwhelming with all the people there but overall a good experience. I definitely recommend it for anyone to go to next year!”

From the looks and sounds of it, it seems like the block party will continue to be a reigning tradition at Weber State University for many years to come.